Secretary Roxas awards Medalya ng Kagitingan to 28 police officers from CALABARZON during his visit to Camp Vicente in Calamba, Laguna, on June 1.

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas awarded on Monday (June 1) 28 police officers from Police Regional Office (PRO) IV-A with the “Medalya ng Kagalingan at Kasanayan” for their unparalleled efforts in implementing Oplan Lambat-Sibat in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon).

Last March, Roxas ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to cascade Oplan Lambat-Sibat, a deliberate, programmatic, and sustained approach in addressing criminality, to other regions following its success in the National Capital Region (NCR).

During Roxas’ visit in Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna, PRO IV-A Chief Supt. Richard Albano reported that within barely a month of implementing Oplan Lambat-Sibat in the region, the regional police has arrested a total of 1,147 pushers and users for sale or possession of illegal drugs.

A total of 52 Most Wanted Persons (MWPs) were also arrested by the local police force, on top if the confiscation of 382 assorted firearms and the impounding of a total of 1,661 vehicles for various violations of the owners.

From a weekly average of 919 crime incidents prior to the implementation of Oplan Lambat-Sibat in June 2014, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) now records a weekly average of around 300 crime incidents.

During the ceremony, Roxas also took the opportunity to thank 1,800 new recruits from the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) for choosing a life of service.